Gas-lift pump



' wells.

Patented. Apr. 12, 1932 UNITED STATES PATE Application led June 27,

NT OFFICE y FORD W. HARRIS, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFRNIA GAsLmr'r rm My invention relates to pumps. The principal object of the invention is to provide a pump in which air or some other gas under pressure is particularly used as 'a motive fluid. The int any liquid but is umping of oil wells and which uses the natural gas underpressure as al description will b embodiment of my inventio sarily limiting my i lar embodiment.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pump of the character disclosed which will remove the oil from an oi-l well at al rate dependent up oil well to produce oil. In substa pumping wells th the condition amount of oil out from it as I-t is therefore a particular ob ifting luid. The following e limited to this particular n without necesnvention to this particu on the capacity of the ntially all e supply of oil is limited by surrounding the well and it is impossible by any means at present known to cause the well to produce over a certain even though fast as 'it flows in.

the oil is drained ject of my invention to provide 'an air-actuatedpumping device which will automatically p-ump the well whenever there is a suicient accumulation of oil therein to warrant the pumping operation.

made evident hereinafter.`

Fig. 2 is an el through the valve mea position they gas is flowing oil. y

Fig. 3 is parts in the position t flowing into the devic Fig. 4 isa bottom view of the mechanism shown in Fig. -The inventi assume l Further objects and advantages will be ich are for f a por-tion of an bodying the infor the purpose of lifting the 3. on is shown installed a similar view t'o Fig. 2 with the hey assume when oil is e and the air is shut in 'a well tightly in the 1928, Serial No. 288,600. Renewed September 9, 1930.

which is provided with casing 11 perforated at 12 near the oil sands, so that oil may enter the well through the perforations 12. I have lndicated at 13 a line of submergence which may be assumed to be the point at which the 65 oil stands in the well when the pump is in operation. This level 13-13 is not constant but is assumed for purposes of explanation.

' Suspended inside the casing 11 is agas-supply pipe 14 which is supported by any suitable 60 means above the surface of the ground and which is connected through a pipe 15 with the pressure side of a pump 16, a pressure gauge 17 being provided in the line 15. The pump 16 takes gas from any suitable source through a pipe 18 and puts it under suflicient pressure to carry on the necessary operation. Suspended inside the gas-supply pipe 14 is an oil tubing 20, this oil tubing 20 passing upwardly and inside of the gas'- 7n supply pipe 14 and being connected in gas-tight lrelationship therewith by a suitable itting 21. The space between the oil tubing 20 and the gas-supply pipe 14 forms a gas-storage chamber. The gas-supply pipe 75 14 is secured by a suitable coupling 22 to a valve casing 23 in such a manner as to form a gas-tight joint therewith. The tubing 20 is also secured to the valve casing 23 by means of a collar 24, this connection also being of such nature as to form a gas-tight joint.

Situated inside the valve casing 23 is a central chamber 30 which is preferably cylindrical in form in which a piston 31 is free to slide. This piston 31 has a small aperture 85 32 extending longitudinally therethrough and consists of an enlarged portion 33 fitting chamber 30 and a portion of smaller diameter 34 which is considerably smaller in'diameter than the chamber. One 90 or more gas-inlet ports 40 are provided which extend through the wall of thevalve casing 23 and provide an open connection between the gas face 41, provided between the tubing 20 and the gas-supply pipe 14, and 95 the chamber 30. These ports are placed in such a position that they are opened with the parts in the position4 shown in Fig. 2 and are closed by the enlarged portion 33 of the piston 31 whenit rises into the position shown in 100 Fig. 3. A screw 43 projects into the chamber 30 and limits the upward movement of the piston 31, the lower movement thereof being limited by a pin 44 extending across the chaml ber below the piston 31. The lower end of the chamber 30 is-provided with an opening() on which a ball 51 seats in gas-tight relationship with the parts' shown in Fig. 2. The pin 44 serves to limit the upward movement of the ball 51. The oil tubing20 is connected to a delivery pipe 60 which delivers the oil to a tank 61 or to a suitable gas-trap, if it is desired to save the gas and reuse it.

The method of operation of the invention is as follows:

The parts are lowered into the well and assembled in the position shown in Fig. 1 so that the casing 23 is submerged in the oil. I have indicated in Fig. 1 a line (S5-65, this line also being indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, pass'- ing through the ports 40. The distance H between the line 13 and 65 may be termed the submergence distance. During the time the parts are being lowered into the well no pressure is placed on the pipe 15, and the interior of the gas-supply pipe 14 and the tubing 20 tend to fill with oil, the tubing 20 first 1 filling and the gassupply pipe 14 then filling. As soon as the tubing 20 and the gas-supply pipe 14 are full of oil, the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 2, the oil having flowed upwardly through the aperture32 and the weight of the piston 31 being sufficient to drop it into the lower position, as shown in Fig. 2. If, now, the pump 16 is started, gas pressure will be pumped into the space 41, and as this pressure is increased, the oil in the space 41 will 'be forced downwardly inside the gassupply pipe 14 and upwardly inside the tubing 20, being delivered through the pipe 60 into the tank 61.

During the entire time that this starting operation is continued, the pressure indicated on the gauge 17 will be in excess of the pressure exerted by the oil acting through the distance H. l

The oil level in the s ace 41 falls until the oil is soon forced out o? this space through the ports 40 and'upwardly inside the tubing. Gas then enters the chamber 3() below the oil and tends to lift it through the tubin 20 and the pipe 60 into the tank 61. This li g operation is relatively rapid, since as soon as the oil starts to flow through the pipe 60, the head of oil in the tubing 20 is reduced and the s in the ,space 41 expands, causing a rapid ow of oil through the tubing 20 and the pipe 60 to the tank 61. This results in an immediatelowering of the pressure in the -apaoe 41 which continues until the pressure in this space is below the pressurevexerted by the oil having a head H. Whenever the pressure in the space 41 falls below this point, the pressure of the oil outside the gas-supply pipe 14 lifts the ball 51 and the oil flows upwardly throughl the opening 50 and through the aperture 32.

The aperture 32 is made suiciently small so that there is considerable loss in pressure of the oil as it flows through this aperture, so that the pressure on the upper side of the piston 31 is considerably less than the pressure on the bottom. This difference in pressure, due to the loss in friction head of the oil flowing through the aperture 32, lifts the piston 31 from the position shown in Fig. 2 into the position shown in Fig. 3, the piston 31 striking against the screw 43. In this position the ports 40 are entirely closed and the supply of gas is then shut off. Oil then continues to flow through the opening 50 and the aperture 32 until the oil tubing 20 is lilled to a point slightly below the level 13-13.

When the tubing 2O is almost entirely filled, the How of oil through the aperture 32 becomes so slight that the ball 51 drops and closes this opening, and almost simultane` ously thereafter the piston falls by its own weight, there being no difference in pressure on either end thereof since the flow of oil is substantially shut off from the aperture 32. The piston 31 thus falling by its own weight into the position shown in Fig. 2, uncovers the ports 40 so that gas is then admitted through the ports 40 into the chamber 30 below the oil in the tubing 20 which is forced upwardly and outwardly through the pipe 60.

As soon as oil starts to flow through the pipe 60, the pressure in the chamber 30 is re uced, and as soon as this pressure is reduced below the pressure of the oil produced by the head H, the ball 51 is lifted and a flow of oil again'starts. This flow of oil is sufficient to lift the piston 31 and close the ports 40. This lifting of the piston 31 may occur before the tubing 20 is entirely emptied of oil, but at the instant it closes, the gas pressure inside the tubing 2O is somewhat in excess of the pressure imposed bythe head H and the flow of oil through the pipe 60 continues due to the expansion of this gas, so that the tubing is substantially emptied of oil by this expansion and by the tendency to maintain the submergence pressuredueto theentry of fresh oil into the bottom of the tubing through the aperture 32.

As soon as the valve rises into the position shown in Fig. 3, the flow of gas is, of course, shut off and the filling"` of the tubing through the aperture 32 then starts. It will be seen that the device operates intermittently, that is to say, 'the tubing fills to a point somewhat lower than the line 13-13; The gas valve then opens and the oil in the tubing is forced out, the piston 31 then rising, shut'- ting off the gas supply and allowing the tubing to again fill. This intermittent action continues as long as there is suilcient fluid in the well to lift the pistonl; in other words, as long as the upper level of the oil shown at 13-13 is substantially above the line 655-65.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of: a valve casing: oil tubing connected with a primary chamber in said casing; a gas-supply pipe: a gas valve adapt-ed to open and close a gas-inlet port 10 between said gas-supply pipeand said chamber; an oil valve adapted to close an oil-inlet port into said chamber; and pressure-operated means for closing said gas valve only when there is a substantial flow ,of oil through said chamber, said oil valve being mechanically independent from said as valve and therefore free to operate independently therefrom.

2. In a 'device of the character described, the combination ofl a valve casing; oil tubing connected with a primary chamber in said casing; a gas-supply pipe; a gas valve adapted to open and close a gas-inlet port between said gas-supply pipe and said chamber; an oil valve adapted to close an oil-inlet port into said chamber whenever the flow of oil through said port substantially ceases; and pressure-operated means for closing said gas valve only when` there is a substantial iow of oil through said chamber, said oil valve being mechanically independent from said gas valve and therefore free t operate independently therefrom.

3. A device adapted to deliver oil from a well to a higher delivery point, comprising: a valve casing adapted to be sulnnerged1 in the oil in said well; oil tubing extending from said delivery point to said casing and connected in gastight relationship to a primary chamber 1n sa1d casing; a gas-supply pipe connected in' gas-tight relationship with a gas-inlet port opening into said chamber; a gas'. valve adapted to close said port; an oil valve associated with a port delivering oil from said wellA into said chamber, and capable of movement independently of said gas valve and so constructed as to at all times automatically close said port lto prevent oil from flowing outwardly from said chamber through the oil-inlet port; and pressure-operated means for closing said gas valve .whenever there is a substantial flow of oil into said chamber through said oil-inlet ort. P 4. A device adapted to deliver'oil from a well to a higher'delivery point, comprising: a valve casing adapted to be submerged in they oil in said well;"oil tubing extending from said delivery point to said casing and connected in gas-tight relationship to [a primary chamber in said casing; a gas-supply pipe connected in gas-ti ht` relationship with a gas-inlet port opening into said chamber; means for continuously deliver- 55 ing. to said gas-supply pipe gas under Sullicient pressure to lift oil from said casin to said delivery point; a gas valve adapted to close said port; an oil valve associated with a port delivering oil from said well into said chamber, and capable of movement independently of said gas valve and so constructed as to at all times automatically close said port to prevent oil from ilowing outwardly from said chamber through the oil-inlet port; and pressure-operated means for closing said gas valve whenever oil into said chamber through said oil-inlet port. p 1

5. A device for raising liquid, comprising: walls forming a chamber immersed in said liquid, said walls having a liqiliid opening and a gas opening therethroug a gas de- -livery pipe so placed as to deliver gas through said gas opening into said chamber; a gas valve so placed as to close said gas opening; means operated by the flow of liquid in said liquid opening for actuating said gas valve; and a liquid valve in said liquid opening so constructed as to close said liquid opening whenever the pressure in saidl chamber rises suiiiciently to tend to force liquid from said chamber through said liquidopening.

6. A device for raising liquid, comprising: walls forming a chamber immersed in said liquid, said walls having a liouid opening and a gas opening therethrough; a gas delivery pipe so placed as to deliver gas through said gas opening into said cham so placed as operated by the flow of liquid in said liquid opening for closing said gas valve during any period in which the liquid flows through said liquid opening at a rate in excess of a predetermined rate; and a liquid valve in said liquid opening so constructed as to close said liquid opening whenever the pressure in said chamber rises suciently to tend to force liquid from said chamber through opening.

7. A device adapted to deliver oil from a well to a higher delivery point, comprising: walls forming a chamber immersed in said liquid and providing a liquid opening and a gas opening therethrough; a gas delivery pipe for delivering gasv .through said gas opening into said chamber; a gas valve for closing saidgas opening; means operative by 'the iow of liquid in said liquid opening-for actuating said gas valve; and a' liquid valve in said liquid opening operative to close said liquid opening whenever the pressure in said chamber rises suiiiciently to force liquid from said chamber through said liquid opening.

Intestimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 19 dayof June, 1928. I v

- FORD W. HARRIS.

there is a substantial iiow of.

Said -iiquia er; a gas valve to close said gas opening; means llU 

